Avril’s best guess at staying in Detroit: 50-50

Last year, the Lions kept defensive end Cliff Avril from hitting free agency with a franchise tag that paid him $10.5 million for one season.

This year, Avril is looking for something that provides more security, either in Detroit or elsewhere.

“Let’s be real you only get free agency once in your career so you definitely want to try and get some money, no doubt about that,” Avril recently told Erik Kuselias of Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports Network. “That would definitely be a big part of it. And then, just being somewhere. I just want to be settled in for the next four or five years.”

Avril doesn’t know whether that somewhere he’ll be settled in for four or five years will be Detroit. “I guess it’s 50-50,” Avril said regarding his chances of staying. “I don’t know right now.”

He also reiterated something he said back in February 2012: A hometown discount is unlikely for the Lions. “It depends on why I would be taking less money first off,” Avril said. “I really don’t know if I’d take less right now.”

The question becomes how much more someone will offer. He said he’d be interested in a warmer climate, if he doesn’t stay in Detroit.

The Lions could try to use the tag again, but it would cost $12.6 in cash and cap dollars for 2013. And that’s likely something the Lions couldn’t afford to do, again.

As much as I would like to say we can do without him, we really can’t. DE is too big of a whole for this team and he has been somewhat consistent the past few years. I would offer the same 3 years 30 mill he got last year and if he declines we move on and look for someone in the draft.

rectumdamnnearkilledem says:
Feb 15, 2013 1:38 PM
Seems like a guy that the Lions would want to keep. Suh should take a pay cut to help keep Avril around. Suh is making way too much money
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Suh’s pay really can’t be cut, they already technically cut his base pay to minimum allowed & converted a huge chunk of it into bonus and paid it to him up front last year so they could tag Avril.
Suh’s money will hit the cap hard no matter what unless he gets a nice extension in the next month or so to spread it out. they might do that but I doubt they do that just to keep Cliff and give him another raise.

i totally get keeping your options open as a free agent but it really doesn’t sound like he wants to go back to Detroit all that much. Too bad though, it is a win/win as he fits the defense and the defense fits him perfectly. If he doesn’t have two very good DTs taking the heat he is useless and he has very little use against the rush.